Latest News

McGill, News

Edward Snowden speaks on privacy and surveillance at McGill

by Calvin Trottier-Chi on

More in McGill:

Lecture delay and AMUSE picket

A line of students stretched around the Leacock Building to the Milton Gates as Edward Snowden, former contractor for the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), held an exclusive video conference hosted by Media@McGill on the evening of Nov. 3. Snowden was streaming via Google Hangouts from Moscow, his place of residence since he revealed the extent of the NSA’s domestic surveillance operations in 2013. The famous whistleblower shared his thoughts on the importance of privacy as a social issue and how these concerns are still relevant three years after his leak went public.

The video conference was delayed by an hour. Sources vary, with many staff and attendees of the opinion that the delay was caused by several picketers from the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE)—a claim that AMUSE disputes. AMUSE was on strike from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 over their collective agreement negotiations with the McGill administration and were picketing the event because AMUSE members would have been working it.

Media@McGill volunteers claimed that AMUSE was blocking the entrance to Leacock 132, the large lecture hall where the conference was held. McGill Security did not comment on the situation, simply asking attendees to remain in an orderly line. One security guard, who spoke to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity, claimed that they hoped to remove everyone who was inside the building and then streamline the entrance process.

“We are trying to make order for the people waiting outside,” the McGill security guard said. “Not everyone can go inside, only 600 people. There are 5,000 outside.”

Most attendees were not informed about the cause of the delay and blamed the picketers. Carlo Mole, U3 Arts, was largely in support of AMUSE’s goals, but grew increasingly frustrated with the crushing crowd and the delay to enter Leacock 132.

“I understand that it’s a massive event and they want to showcase their issues, which is why I agree with what they are doing outside, but by blocking the door they’re probably getting students angry at the movement,” Mole said.

AMUSE members at the Leacock 132 entrance claimed that it was McGill security officers who were preventing people from entering. AMUSE Internal Affairs Officer Bradley Powell, who was picketing the event, explained that they were not trying to do a hard picket and only sought to inform attendees of their situation, but allow students to enter the lecture hall if they still chose to.

“We are not blocking this event,” Powell said. “We are trying to explain that if people cross our picket line they should acknowledge that they are crossing a picket line. The labour that was supposed to run this event was our workers, who were on strike. So they have replaced our labour with scab labour in order to make this event run, as you can see it was very poorly organized.”

Eventually, attendees who had been waiting outside marched into the building chanting, “Let us in!” Although they originally resisted the crowd, security soon started leading attendees into the classroom. AMUSE picketers called out to entering attendees, but did not physically interfere. Gabriella Coleman, McGill professor in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies and an organizer of the event, later claimed that the delay was the result of students skipping the line.

“I’m still not clear as to whether it was legal or illegal for [AMUSE] to picket in Leacock,” Coleman said. “I think [AMUSE was part of the blockage] but the bigger part was actually people who had come out of this classroom in a prior class who didn’t want to go to the back of the line.”

Lecture from Edward Snowden, NSA Whistleblower

By 8 p.m., Leacock 132 had filled quickly and security barred the doors to the classroom, opening Leacock 26 as an overflow room. Video connection was established with Edward Snowden, who began by thanking attendees for their patience. In regards to AMUSE, he commended their spirit and reminded students of the importance of having the right to protest and share ideas.

“This is the kind of thing that happens in a democracy,” Snowden said. “We have uncertainties, we have difficulties, we have inconveniences. But, these are not weaknesses, these things are strengths.”

Snowden then began his lecture on privacy issues and mass governmental surveillance. He expressed worry over the fact that dangerous legislation–such as Canada’s Bill C-51 and the United Kingdom’s Investigatory Powers Bill–continue to pass into law in democracies. He also argued that the failure of courts to provide oversight is a serious concern, as the best safeguard against intelligence agencies are guarantees that prosecutors will conduct case-by-case reviews of their operations.

“Governments have not asked for the permission of the public to engage in these kinds of operations,” Snowden said. “Instead, they deploy these kinds of capabilities in secret, even when they knew these programs were unlawful. Courts were unwilling to permit legal challenges against the activities of these spy agencies because they said there was speculation, because [intelligence agencies] can say, ‘You can’t prove you’re spying because it’s classified.’”

Snowden spoke of how a combination of fear-mongering and technological advances gave intelligence communities the ability to get away with remotely monitoring essentially any individual.

“Traditionally, the works of intelligence services, surveillance agencies, and police investigations, have always been particularly and specifically targeted towards individuals who had probable cause,” Snowden said. “Now, surveillance technologies have outpaced democratic controls [and] for the first time in human history, it is both technologically and financially feasible for governments to track and survey complete records of all of our lives.”

Intelligence is usually split into ‘content,’ which are the actual messages sent, and ‘metadata,’ which are the characteristics of the messages, such as when or where they were sent. While it is feasible for members of the public to encrypt the content of their communications, they do not control the metadata that they produce. Metadata does not belong to an individual and Snowden expressed concern over social media and telecom corporations that control their users’ metadata.

“The government holds that you don’t actually own records of your activities, you only have a private interest in actually what you say,” Snowden said. “When you have enough metadata, you don’t need the content. Metadata is a proxy for content because machines can analyze it in a way content can’t. Metadata creates perfect records of private lives.”

In response to a question about what conditions could justify total surveillance, Snowden replied that invasion of privacy includes moral judgements, not just purely utilitarian considerations. He also reminded the audience that data gathered through mass surveillance has historically never made a concrete difference in investigations.

“This is very similar to arguing, ‘What if torture were effective, what if extra-judicial murder were effective, we’re talking about assassinations here, what if slavery was a wonderful economic program?’” Snowden said. “It wouldn’t make it right. It’s not the question of can this thing be justified in terms of efficacy, it’s, ‘Do we want to live in a world without human rights?’”

Snowden argued that the ability to behave as private individuals is analogous to the ability to own private possessions and that it is the foundation of other rights and freedoms.

“When somebody says, ‘I don’t care about privacy because I’ve got nothing to hide,’ that’s like saying ‘I don’t care about free speech because I have got nothing to say,’” Snowden said. “Privacy is about the ability to have something for yourself, whether it’s a home, whether it’s a car, whether it’s a pencil. Whether it is an idea, whether it is a belief.”

Robert Tibbo, Mr. Snowden’s Lawyer

McGill graduate Robert Tibbo practices law in China and represented Edward Snowden, helping him hide from U.S. law enforcement in Hong Kong in June 2013. He normally assists refugee claimants.

Earlier this year it was revealed that Montreal police had gathered metadata from  La Presse journalist Patrick Lagace’s phone. The legal warrant to do so has since been overruled; Lagace hypothesizes that he was tracked in the hopes that he would lead the police to his confidential source, who was leaking information to the press. During the interview, Snowden commented on the importance of this issue, as he himself had relied on the press to reveal NSA documents. Tibbo commended the public’s response, but worried that future whistleblowers may be discouraged from approaching the media.

“People of Montreal and Quebec were put on notice by Mr. Snowden’s revelations in 2013 and have clearly taken a stance that the Quebec police conduct is outrageous,” Tibbo said. “What the Quebec Magistrate and police did was to strike a devastating impact at the core foundation of journalism, violating the sanctity of trust and confidentiality between journalists and their sources.”

Tibbo currently works to represent and provide for the Hong Kong Four (HK4), the four refugees who helped Tibbo hide Snowden when he was underground in Hong Kong.

“The Hong Kong government has left the HK4 destitute, refusing to provide them with sufficient food, transport money, rent, utilities, food, clothing, etcetera,” said Tibbo. “I hope that people will continue to donate to these extraordinary people who, with so little, selflessly gave so much to protect Mr. Snowden.”

This article was last updated on Nov. 4, 2016. 

Baseball, Men's Varsity, Private, Sports

McGill Redmen walk off to third straight national championship

by Hana O'Neill on

More in Baseball:

Redmen Baseball’s season ended with a bang—or, more specifically, the crack of Chris Stanford’s bat as he sent a pitch over the left field fence at Ahuntsic Park to claim McGill’s third straight national championship Sunday evening.

McGill (15–1) opened the day with a semifinal victory against Saint Mary’s University (9–10), in which they showed no mercy. Although the Redmen led 17–0 after five innings, the mercy rule was not taken into effect, and they added four runs in the top of the seventh to win 21–0 and advance to the finals. In a game where eight starting players had hits, leadoff man Sam Groleau and catcher Chris Stanford stood out. Groleau went 5-for-7 at the plate, scoring three runs and driving in four. Stanford went 4-for-5 and drove in five. 

Starting pitcher Rocky Hroch dominated, allowing two hits over four innings, and reliever Benji Kaiserman finished the job with three innings of no-hit ball.

While the semifinal game gave fans and players a chance to relax, the finals did exactly the opposite, remaining in the balance until the very last moment.

The Université de Montréal (5–11) struck early in the first, scoring one and threatening to do more damage. Third baseman Gabe Hamilton turned a spectacular double play, tagging the runner—who had been attempting to steal—and throwing to first in time for the out, ending the inning and limiting the damage.

McGill was scoreless until the fourth, when Montreal’s Simon Brisebois opened the inning by hitting DH Emerson Dohm and walking Hamilton. He then gave up a pair of singles and the lead to first baseman Sebastiano Scalzo and centre fielder Alex Levis, who drove in a run each.

The Carabins gave the Redmen little time to enjoy the lead, tying the game on a two-out single in the fifth.

Hroch came in to pitch two scoreless relief innings, despite a runner reaching a scoring position in each.

With the game tied in the bottom of the seventh, Groleau led off with a double. The crowd was quickly quieted when Groleau was nabbed on a double play.

Stanford reversed the mood one more time with a solo walk-off shot to left field. The Redmen rushed onto the field, celebrating their third straight national championship. 

“After that double play that they turned in the late inning there, that just kind of broke our momentum,” tournament MVP Stanford said. “So I just stayed composed and made it ready to rock and roll, and I just saw that high fastball and I just put the barrel in front of it and crushed it over the fence.”

 

 

Quotable: “I can’t put it into words. Honestly. Every [championship is] special. Every one individually is special,” said Head Coach Jason Starr. “But to do this, to do three in a row, to represent McGill is just a great feeling. I feel like the team’s done a great job all year to bring honour to the school and to the program. It’s just a great way to finish it off. A lot of hard work culminates in this and that’s the most impressive part about it.”

Stat of the tournament: Stanford led the tournament in batting average and RBIs, hitting .500 (8-for-16) and driving in ten.

Moment of the Series: 

With one out and runners on first and second for Montreal in the top of the first, Gabe Hamilton spectacularly fielded Montreal pitcher Simon Brisebois’s hard ground ball, tagging the runner out and throwing to first in time for the double play. Hamilton’s play ended the inning, and limited the damage to one run.

McGill, News

Doing it right: Student Services seeks to re-open Shag Shop

by Holly Cabrera on

More in McGill:

McGill’s Shag Shop is looking to move into a physical space again as renovations of Student Services in the Brown Building are expected to begin in February 2017. Since 2005, the Shag Shop, a safe sex and health store, has been offering products ranging from contraceptives to vibrators and toys at low prices. After closing its storefront in 2014, the Shag Shop has maintained an exclusively online store that allows students to purchase online and pick up orders on campus.

According to interim Senior Director of Student Services Cara Piperni, Student Health Services hopes the Shag Shop will regain a physical space in Fall 2017 once renovations are completed. 

“The ideal state is to have a physical space as well as to have an online store,” Piperni said. “We’re hoping to carve out a small space for the Shag Shop to live again. This is not a commitment, but it’s on our list of things that we would like to address [….] Within 18 months, we’ll know whether that’s something we can do or not.”

Piperni explained that the Shag Shop’s first and foremost purpose is to be a health-education resource for students. 

“The goal of the Shag Shop has never been to make a profit,” Piperni said. “It’s really been about creating awareness and providing products at a very low cost. So, there’s no impediment for students’ accessing these supplies. Doing kits for parties is one way just to create awareness that we’re here, peer health educators are here, [and] supplies are here and easy to get in a confidential manner. So, it’s all just part of promoting good sexual health.”

Despite the lack of a physical shop, Health Promotion Coordinator Marianne Perron notes that McGill health educators regularly respond to students’ health-related questions via email, telephone, and at campus health kiosks.

“We [health educators] do try to have a strong presence,” Perron said. “While the Shag Shop did allow people to drop in and ask sexual health questions specifically, I think that our presence on campus definitely allows students to ask those questions and other questions on mental health subjects, or nutrition, or whatever it might be.”

Piperni said the reason behind the Shag Shop’s closing was to make the First People’s House wheelchair accessible. An elevator was installed in the shop’s former space to create a passage through Health Services. 

“The reason was a good one,” Piperni said. “[It…] was in the renovation plans for a long time. There was actually an indigenous student who was wheelchair-bound and thus, was the impetus for accelerating it.”

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President University Affairs Erin Sobat said that the continued absence of a physical store shows a lack of sufficient health promotion campaigns on the McGill campus. 

“While I understand the reasons for closing the physical Shag Shop, I think this speaks to an overall lack of investment in health promotion resources at McGill,” Sobat said. “For example, Healthy McGill's budget was cut for this year, which simply does not align with the proactive, preventative approach that the administration claims to be promoting. We need to see expanded education efforts across campus, such as mental health training for students and faculty members down to the department level.”

Katherine Belisle, U3 Arts, expressed how encouraging sexual health education would make students more inclined to buy these products and practice safe sex.

“I think part of taking control of your sex life is learning where to get things that would reduce risk in your sexual interactions,” Belisle said. “Through empowerment, people are able to take it upon themselves, even if the Shag Shop isn’t there, they’ll go somewhere else to get [products…] And that’s when people really start buying things that matter for them.”

McGill, News

University Provost hosts town hall to discuss McGill budget

by Domenic Casciato on

More in McGill:

McGill’s Office of the Budget held a town hall on Oct. 25 to discuss the McGill budget for the 2017 fiscal year, explain how it was created, and allow the public to ask questions and give their input about what they would like to see included as the budget is finalized in April 2017. The meeting was hosted by Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi. According to Manfredi, these town halls are usually held during a financial crisis, but McGill is currently financially stable, making this town hall an exception to this rule. 


“I thought it would be good to have a broader kind of conversation about the budget, and also to have an opportunity outside of the crisis period to hear some things that are on [the public’s] minds as to what we should be thinking about as we produce the university’s budget,” Manfredi said.


The town hall was divided between a presentation by Manfredi and a question-and-answer period. Manfredi began his presentation by discussing the operating fund, which covers McGill’s daily revenues and expenditures. Manfredi provided a quick overview of the revenues that contribute to the operating budget, and then went into detail about McGill’s specific operating costs.


“About three quarters of our operating revenue is determined by student enrolment,” Manfredi said. “Student enrolment determines our government grant, and […] determines how much we collect in tuition fees.”


Manfredi also presented on McGill’s budget planning agreements, which are the outcome of a series of meetings between the Office of the Budget and representatives from different faculties and administrative units. These agreements are an important part of the creation of the Financial & Budget Model (FBM), McGill’s multi-year budget plan. The agreements will create funding plans for temporary and continuing projects for the the next three years. Associate Provost (Budget and Resources) Ghyslaine McClure explained in an email to The McGill Tribune that she will deal directly with approving these projects. 


“All the approved financial requests are communicated to [my office],” McClure wrote. “[We then work] with the Budget Office to include them in the FBM.”


The meetings bring together 23 units from faculties and the administration to talk about their financial and educational priorities. It is a five month process that will conclude in December.


“[This process includes] accountability reporting on the activities of the previous year, talking about what needs to be done going forward, and then there’s an iterative exchange to develop an incremental budget for the following three fiscal years,” said Manfredi. “The budget that we’ll get next year is really a function of the budget we have this year.”


Josephine Nalbantoglu, dean of Graduate Studies, found the town hall to be very educational. Representing the financial and educational objectives of graduate and postdoctoral studies, Nalbantoglu is a member of one of the units working with the Office of the Budget to prepare a budget planning agreement.


“I didn’t know what was involved with the process, and how the numbers are crunched together, and how priorities are determined,” Nalbantoglu said. 


In her role representing graduate and postdoctoral studies in the creation of the FBM, Nalbantoglu has direct influence on how the budget is planned.


“I have to prepare my own agreement for graduate studies,” Nalbantoglu said. “My role in the agreement process is to look over the landscape and see what we need for graduate studies. So, I’m basically supporting graduate studies and advocating for graduate studies, trying to get enough resources to make funding better, […] to recruit the best students, and to give them better services.”


According to Manfredi, the budget is not cause for concern as its current stability will allow the administration to better plan for the future. 


“I’ll end with some optimistic words,” Manfredi said. “These town halls were often done in the context of a budget crisis, a revenue crisis, and I don’t think we’re there. I won’t say that we’re in a period of major growth, but I think we’re in a period of budgetary stability which will allow us to […] make sure that our decisions are driven, really, by our actual priorities that we want to pursue as opposed to responding reactively to external shocks.”

The administrative and faculty units will complete their agreements by January 2017, and this will be a finalizing step for the FBM.
 

Hockey, Know Your Athlete, Sports

Mike Babcock remembers his Redmen roots

by Aaron Rose on

More in Hockey:

“These are my best friends in the world,” Mike Babcock said, looking down at an old picture of the 1986-87 Redmen hockey team. “We’ve been together for a long, long time and we still get together all the time.”

Being the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs is an exhausting job. The 53 year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist and Stanley Cup Champion is under constant scrutiny in arguably the most hockey-obsessed city in the world. Despite the big stage and the persistent strain, he has never forgotten his McGill roots.

“I can’t tell you how special this place is,” Babcock said.

His journey to hockey immortality started long before McGill. Unlike so many young Canadians, he wasn’t born with a hockey stick in his hands or pads on his legs.

“I never started playing hockey until I was eight,” Babcock said. “I lived in the Northwest Territories and we didn’t have a skating rink. I had my own dog team and a trap line when I was a little kid, but no hockey. Then I moved to Lynn Lake, Manitoba, where all the other kids played hockey, so I started playing hockey and it just went from there.” 

In Lynn Lake, Babcock fell in love with the sport and dreamt of one day skating around the rink with the Stanley Cup hoisted high above his head.

“I wanted to play in the National Hockey League, but wasn’t good enough and ended up at McGill,” Babcock said. “I had been to college at the University of Saskatchewan, [then] I went back to Major Junior [Hockey, because] I thought I could be a pro, but I didn’t get signed that year, [so] I came to McGill.” 

It was during Babcock’s time with the Redmen that he discovered a love for academics. He was never a good student growing up, but applied himself at McGill and began to thrive off the ice.

“I thought I was going to stay at McGill forever, get my PhD, and teach here,” Babcock said. “[Then] I took a year off and lost my way.” 

In that year, Babcock travelled overseas where he became a player-coach for the Whitley Warriors in northeast England. That job was the beginning of what would become one of the most illustrious coaching careers in modern hockey history. 

“That kind of got me involved a little and it just went from there,” Babcock said. “[When] I got my job at Red Deer College, my first real job, I thought it was the greatest job in the world.” 

Babcock has considered every job he has ever held to be the greatest job in the world and has never taken any position for granted. Now in Toronto, Babcock recognizes the pressure that comes with being the head coach of the Maple Leafs. 

“Montreal people aren’t going to want to hear this, but Toronto is the hockey Mecca of the world,” Babcock said. “But the team is an original six team that lost it’s lustre and needs to be restored to its rightful place in the league and that’s our job.” 

Bringing Toronto its first Stanley Cup since 1967 will be no easy task for Babcock. However, there’s nobody better qualified to take on the challenge. He brought a Stanley Cup to Detroit while winning more playoff and regular season games than any other team in the league during his decade-long tenure with the Red Wings. On the world stage, he led the Canadian men’s national hockey team to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014. And, despite his impressive résumé, Babcock is always looking for ways to improve—a mindset he attributes to his time with the Redmen. 

“If you want to be the best of the best, you have to evolve,” Babcock said. “If you embrace lifelong learning, which […] you learn at McGill, […] you’re going to change every day of your life [….] I plan on getting better every single day until I’m no longer here.” 

Favourite Player: Bobby Orr 

Favourite McGill Class: Nutrition

Pre-game rituals: I do the same things over and over again, it keeps me feeling warm and cuddly.

Stanley Cup or Gold Medal: What I suggest is you just win both and you don’t have to decide.

Campus Spotlight, Private, Student Life

Campus food initiatives find solutions to reduce their food waste

by Grace Hébert on

More in Campus Spotlight:

Wasting food is often unavoidable, whether producing extra scraps from cooking or throwing out moldy and expired food. For many student-led food-based initiatives on campus, food waste is an ever-present issue that requires  large-scale efforts to combat it. 

Reducing food waste can begin with the early stages of production. According to Students’ Society of McGill University Vice-President (VP) Operations Sacha Magder, the Student Run Cafeteria (SRC) has been very successful at limiting food waste by cutting out food loss in their supply chain.

“[The SRC] started using a local producer who pre-chops the vegetables. [Normally,] we would have thrown out the ends, [but now] they can reuse the ends for fertilizer or for animals,” Magder said. “We’ve seen it make a difference on our bottom line. We’re wasting less food since the sales are higher. Everything is being used and sold, and the portion sizes are accurate for students.”

However, prioritizing environmental sustainability can often entail financial sacrifice, as eco-friendly food production strategies like pre-chopping vegetables tend to come with higher costs. It has been harder to improve revenue at the SRC for this reason; however, even so, the cafeteria strives to serve cheap food despite using potentially more expensive locally-sourced produce, all the while maintaining sustainable projects and paying fair wages.

“Margins are lower, so there is a higher cost of food,” Magder explained. “We are willing to sacrifice profit in order to run our operation in a sustainable and fair way. The SRC is working towards breaking even as it currently runs on a deficit.” 

While the SRC is working to reduce food waste in the early stages of food production, other initiatives on campus still struggle with this. According to Monica Allaby, U2 Arts and a coordinator for the McGill Farmer’s Market, food waste is still a problem in their Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA), which works with Macdonald Student-run Ecological Gardens (MSEG). In the student-led CSA program, students pay for produce in advance from local farmers to fund their start-up costs during the winter, and, in exchange, they receive weekly baskets of produce during the summer harvest season. Over this past summer, however, many baskets were not picked up by those who had ordered them. As an alternative to throwing out these baskets, the Farmer’s Market donated this produce to a local restaurant. In addition, MSEG is looking to work with a local non-profit this fall to help reduce food waste.  

 “There were enough leftovers [from produce baskets] that they couldn’t be distributed among the volunteers,” Allaby said. “Luckily, the extra food was given to Robin des Bois, a non-profit restaurant in the Plateau. During the fall, McGill Farmer’s Market hopes to pair up with the Yellow Door, [located] in the [Milton-Parc Community], to help donate to their student food bank during the school year. Students can also contribute [to the Yellow Door] and donate their leftover food items.”

While eliminating the amount of food wasted in the pre- and post- stages of food production has proven effective for many campus groups, some find putting food waste back into the earth to be an equally feasible option. The Midnight Kitchen (MK)—a non-profit, student volunteer-run collective dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, and healthy meals outside of the mainstream capitalist food system—has also faced their fair share of issues with excess food after their daily soup kitchen. To assuage this, MK composts their leftover food through an external service, according to Anastasia Dudley, U3 Arts and staff member at MK . 

“Given that most of our food comes to us at or past its expiry date, we throw a ton of food out for being moldy and inedible. We often fill a compost bin a day,” Dudley said. “We use Compost Montreal. We pay for the service out of our fee and have a relationship with them independent of McGill.”

While many on-campus initiatives work to reduce their food waste on a larger scale, the members of the student population may also address their own levels of food waste in order to contribute to a culture of sustainability on campus. According to Magder, food waste should be addressed through larger societal changes.

“Food waste needs to be tackled through an educational and [cultural] change,” Magder said. “But it’s hard in a community where the number of people are changing every year to instill [food waste] standards across campus. Each year, we lose 25 per cent of students and we have to re-educate 25 per cent again.” 

While it is clear that many groups at McGill work to reduce food waste, students’ roles in lowering their personal food waste doesn’t need to start on campus. For Magder, reducing  food waste in his personal life was a matter of learning to plan his grocery shopping.

“After my first year at McGill, I learned that planning was key as well as the importance of portioning correctly, buying the right amount of groceries, planning meals carefully, and composting,” Magder said. 

What campus initiatives such as the SRC, MK, and MSEG all have in common are students with values like Magder’s. Limiting one’s carbon footprint more often than not entails partaking in larger-scale campus food systems. The environmental principles upon which students operate in their everyday  lives are just as important for making change in public settings, like school or at work.

Basketball, Sports

In Conversation with NBA Analyst Doris Burke

by Joe Khammar on

More in Basketball:

Passion has never been in short supply for NCAA and NBA analyst Doris Burke. Her talents and her demeanour have earned her the respect of basketball players, coaches, and fans worldwide.

Burke’s basketball journey began at an early age while growing up in blue-collar Manasquan, New Jersey. Basketball provided her with opporunties that would have been otherwise unavailble.

“I have been playing, coaching, or now covering the game since I was seven-years-old,” Burke said. “It has literally been one of the driving forces of my life. I [would not have completed] a college degree without it. I am the last of eight kids. Financially, with that many kids, I don’t care how much money you are making, it was a little bit of a stretch for my parents. So affording a college tuition would have been hard.”

Recruited by Providence College as a point guard, Burke was an All-Big East selection and graduated from Providence as the all-time leader in assists. Burke seemed like a surefire professional player in the making. Unfortunately, an injury complicated matters.

“The very last game of my career, [in] the final ten minutes of the game, I went to catch an outlet pass around half-court […] and turned at the same moment and I blew out my knee,” Burke said.

The knee injury changed her life. After tests revealed that she had torn both her ACL and MCL, Burke had two options: Undergo reconstructive knee surgery or give up on basketball. In 1987, surgery would not guarantee a return to pre-injury levels of fitness.

“I decided at that moment that I could move on,” Burke said.

She wouldn’t be away from basketball for long, however. A year after graduating, her former coach, Bob Foley, offered her a position on his staff at Providence. She accepted, but in her second year with the team she got engaged and wanted to start a family.

“There are some who I think could have probably pulled that off easily, being a mom and being a Division One coach,” Burke said. “But, my days were starting at 7 a.m. with individual workouts, and ending about 9:30 p.m. at night with recruiting calls.”

Thus, Burke decided to hang up coaching. However, Providence wasn’t ready to let her go easily.

“The year I left coaching, they put Providence College women’s basketball on radio,” Burke said. “Because I played and coached at Providence, they asked, ‘can you give this a try?’ That was 1990, and I probably did 10 to 12 games and that was my entry into the field.”

The 1990s were an exciting decade for women’s basketball in the United States as games started to receive regular coverage across the country.

“It was starting to feel the effects of Title IX and providing equal opportunities for women’s basketball to be on TV,” Burke said. “Then in 1997, when the WNBA was formed, that was […] the first time a woman could make a living being a colour analyst.”

Her work as an analyst did not go unnoticed. When Mike Gorman, Big East TV’s colour analyst for men’s basketball, was absent for a Saturday game between Pittsburgh and Providence, Burke was his replacement.

“My first men’s game actually happened by accident,” Burke said. “Through some miscommunication, Mike Gorman did not show up at this game [….] We are now pushing close to an hour before the game, and I get home from the hospital, as my son had fallen off the weight bench […] and there is a message, ‘Can you come do the game at the Providence Civic Centre?’ […] After spending from probably 8 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at the emergency room getting my son stitched up from his fall, […] I raced to the civic centre.”

Without any preparation, she put on her headset and turned on the mic. For most broadcasters, this would have been a near impossible feat, but as a die-hard Big East fan, Burke was ready.

“I would have been at the game or watching the game on TV, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to cover it,” Burke said. 

The following year, Burke began broadcasting men’s games on a regular basis. She was the first American female college basketball analyst, and soon found herself covering Knicks’ games at Madison Square Garden. In 2003, ESPN hired her to be on Dick Vitale’s NBA coverage team as both an analyst and sideline reporter, making her the first woman to be given such a prominent role in NBA coverage.  NBA players and coaches have embraced Burke’s presence on the sideline.

“I have always said this: […] Have I experienced some skepticism when I sit in the analyst’s chair in the NBA, or even on men’s college basketball? Of course,” Burke said. “I would say it is far less so now than it used to be. And I would tell you that in all honesty, I have never had a bad experience with a player or a coach in terms of my acceptance as a basketball person. They in fact have always been my soft landing spot. It has been their acknowledgement, their recognition, their willingness to open their arms and welcome me into the games I happen to be covering, which has made my job incredibly easy.”

One player Burke particularly enjoys speaking with is four-time MVP and three-time NBA champion Lebron James. He puts a tremendous amount of effort into his responses to Burke’s questions, and their chemistry during interviews has always been excellent. 

“It has to do with the fact that [James] will listen to the questions I ask, take a second to process [them], and try to give me a heartfelt answer or at least an honest answer,” Burke said.

Burke also admires James’ candidness in speaking out about social injustice in America—now many NBA players are following suit: James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade have all described America as “broken” at the ESPY’s and called for athletes to help fix the system. For Burke, this candidness is one of the traits necessary for success as an athlete. 

“I think the most important things these athletes can do is to be genuine, to be heartfelt, to really believe in what it is they might be speaking about,” Burke said. “I am thankful that a dialogue has been spurred and that professional athletes recognise that they have a great opportunity to influence young people.”

Authenticity has always characterized Burke’s work—be it as a record-setting or trail-blazing player, coach, colour analyst, or sideline reporter. She has given everything to basketball. This is why she is one of the most respected figures in broadcasting and will continue be one of the best in the business over the coming years.

Favourite Player: LeBron James

Who’s going to win the NBA Championship in 2016-17: Golden State Warriors

Do the Raptors have a chance?: [I] think it is probably going to take another piece if they are going to be NBA champions, [but with] Masai Ujiri at the helm, […] it would not shock me if he was able to pull it off.

Science & Technology

Invasive species found moving into Canadian ports

by Izze Siemann on

More in Science & Technology:

Species in one continent can move to and thrive in another in a matter of days. In McGill’s backyard, mussels that have never been seen in Canada were discovered at the Old Port. With humans as their vessels, invasive species are continent-hopping at an alarming rate according to Associate Professor in McGill’s School of Environment, Anthony Ricciardi.

A study published recently in A Journal of Conservation Biogeography led by McGill University biology post-doc Emily Brown has identified non-native species across ports in Canada through sampling and DNA analysis. A soft-shelled clam never spotted in the arctic was found at Hudson Bay in Churchill and a barnacle that hasn’t been seen north of San Francisco popped up in Nanaimo, British Columbia. However, discovery of these non-native individual organisms does not mean that they are “invasive species.”

“Invasion refers to an organism arriving in a region where it has no evolutionary history, and establishing a self-sustaining, reproducing population,” Ricciardi said.

The species discovered in Canadian ports are in fact non-native, but not all have established reproducing populations—this means that many can’t be classified as invasive species at this point.

According to Ricciardi, it is unlikely that the non-native mussel species discovered so far away from its natural environment will be able to establish a reproducing population. This particular mussel is generally found in salty-waters, so Montreal’s freshwater port will most likely not provide the sustainable environment the mollusk needs to thrive. Regardless, the introduction of this mussel represents only a small drop in the ocean of global invasions since humans evolved. Without humans, this scope of global invasion events would be impossible.

In terms of the scale of damage they cause to the environment, the impact of invasive species has been compared to climate change.

“[In Canada] annual costs of invasive plants to the agricultural community are estimated at $2.2 billion,” the Invasive Alien Plants in Canada Summary Report wrote. “Forty-four speces at risk have been identified for which invasive plants appear to be factors in their at-risk [….] Infectious diseases, such as West Nile virus, affect both human and wildlife health, and invasive plants can provide breeding habitat for mosquitos, which carry the disease.”

Ricciardi discussed a 1973 study by Thomas M. Zaret and R. T. Paine of the University of Washington, who set out to observe the impact on native species after a large, carnivorous fish was introduced to a tropical lake ecosystem near the Panama canal. After the carnivorous fish was introduced, it ate most of the previously dominant, mosquito-eating fish that had never been prey—almost driving the native species to extinction. As a result, the population of mosquitos skyrocketed—as did the number of locals with malaria, when the nearly-extinct smaller fish no longer ate as many mosquitos.

The findings of the 1973 study showed how significantly the introduction of a single invasive organism can produce population changes on a range of trophic levels. Organisms in an ecosystem are generally linked in many ways and the introduction or extinction of just a single species can disturb the balance of an entire ecosystem.

A more recent example involves Antarctica, where over 200 documented invasive species have been discovered. Antarctica has seen a dramatic rise in human activity as a result of increasing research, eco-tourism, and other travel to the continent. Emperor penguins have been affected by salmonella as a result of humans bringing infected poultry to the continent. This boom in the number of invasive species prompted scientists to begin sampling visitors. The researchers found people were entering the Antarctic with insect eggs and plant seeds in the seams of their clothing and the mud in their boots.

The movement of humans has created an undeniable pattern of species invasions. Brown’s latest study can perhaps be used as a tool for the prevention and control of invasive populations.

 

A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to the publication year of the study "Species Introduction in a Tropical Lake" as 2006. In fact, the study was published in 1973.

Ask Ainsley, Private, Student Life

Ask Ainsley: How do I cope with my best friend and my ex dating?

by Ask Ainsley on

More in Ask Ainsley:

Dear Ainsley,

A friend of mine from back home recently told me she’s been dating my ex for four months and lying about it. I’m not so much mad that they’re dating, more so that they lied for four months. Also, when she told me, she was incredibly insensitive and condescending and invalidated my feelings about it. Is it worth trying to save the friendship if she’s going to treat me like this? If not, how do I deal with losing two of my closest friends?

Sincerely, 

Lost in a Love Triangle (LILT)

Dear LILT,

I can imagine what a difficult situation this must be for you. Maneuvering around a relationship with an ex can be incredibly difficult, and it becomes even harder when friends are involved. First off, kudos to you for being accepting of their relationship. There are plenty of people who wouldn’t be able to fathom a friend dating an ex. Second, you should know that your feelings are completely valid. Don’t let someone tell you that you’re overreacting when they’ve seriously hurt your feelings.

I think a variety of factors are at play in this situation, one of which is the quality of your relationship with your friend. If this incident is part of a pattern in your friendship, you may consider letting her go. Just because you get along with someone some of the time doesn’t mean they’re a great friend to you. In a conflict, some people will try to turn the blame on the other person when they know they’ve done something wrong. It can be hard to let go of a friend, especially one you’ve known for a long time, but someone who tears you down more than they build you up is not worth your time in the long run. 

If you do end up deciding that you don’t want to be friends with this person anymore, you don’t have to cut them off all at once. You can gradually phase them out, while putting more energy and focus into your other friends and schoolwork at McGill. If it makes it easier for you, unfollow your friend on social media. It can be hard to get someone off your mind when you’re constantly seeing them on your newsfeeds. 

As upsetting as it can be, sometimes losing friends is a natural part of life. However, if this is a friend that you want to keep, you need to have a discussion with them about the situation. Explain to them why your feelings are hurt. As hard as it can be to not get aggressive when someone has wronged you, aim for a higher ground. Calmly tell her what your feelings are about the situation. Your emotional reactions are inherently valid and not up for debate. Once you express exactly how her words and actions made you feel, if she really cares, she won’t tell you that you’re being too sensitive. After your chat, allow her to reach out to you, so you know that she is truly apologetic and wants to maintain your friendship. 

In a perfect world, people would be able to stay friends with their exes after a break up. Not that it’s impossible, but in your situation it gets even harder. I understand that you probably feel betrayed—not only by your friend, but also by your ex, someone who you may have loved at one point. Even though it might be painful, you need to have a conversation with your ex and get his side of the story. If he treats you the same way your friend did, it may be better for you to try to move on without him. If you do want to keep both of them in your life, as your friends they should be able to acknowledge how difficult the situation must be for you,  and make an effort to earn back your trust.

While your first instinct may be to seek out social contact, having been hurt by two people close to you, it’s important to take some time for yourself. Focus on your personal health—exercise, eat well, get enough sleep—and your mental health—meditate, journal your thoughts and feelings, give yourself daily affirmations, or talk to a counsellor—whatever it is that will make you feel the best. In an emotional time like this, it’s not selfish to put your own personal needs above someone else’s. You seem to be focusing deeply on the social repercussions of this situation, but it is equally, if not more, important to look inward and focus on healing. No matter how your relationships with your friend and ex turn out, remember that your worth is not measured by those who do not treat you well. In caring for yourself, you will be reminded of your inherent worth, regularly. 

All the best,

Ainsley

Commentary, Opinion

A deadly high: Universities must take measures to educate and protect against fentanyl overdoses

by Alexandra Harvey on

More in Commentary:

Amelia and Hardy Leighton were, by all appearances, a young, happy, stable married couple from North Vancouver. They decided to celebrate the purchase of their first home—fit with a yard for their two-year-old son—by getting a little high. On July 20, they were found dead in their home. The cause of their deaths—and a record high of other Canadians this year—was fentanyl: An opioid painkiller 100 times more powerful than morphine that is often found laced in street drugs.

The Leightons, along with many of the faces of fentanyl overdoses, were not drug addicts. They used drugs recreationally and infrequently. They had no idea they were ingesting the fatal opioid. Fentanyl is infecting communities across Canada as it creeps its way into party drugs.

This epidemic affects everyone. University students are especially vulnerable given that young adults are more likely to use drugs than any other age group. As such, Canadian universities have a responsibility to educate students about drug safety and protect them against overdosing on fentanyl.

Traces of fentanyl have been found in counterfeit OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax pills, as well as in other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and MDMA. Fentanyl is cheap, so it's cut into drugs like cocaine to buff them up for buyers. What makes fentanyl so dangerous is how potent it is: One microgram of fentanyl—the size of one grain of salt—can mean the difference between a euphoric high and death.

Though intended as a prescription pain-reliever, the presence of illicit fentanyl in Canada is growing at a rapid rate. In BC and Alberta—the two provinces most affected by the drug—fentanyl-linked fatalities spiked from 42 in 2012 to 418 in 2015. There were 508 illicit drug deaths in BC from January to September 2016, 60 per cent of which were linked to fentanyl. Two people die from opioid overdoses in Ontario every single day. This national epidemic is projected to reach new heights before it slows down. No community is immune.

Post-secondary institutions play a key role in influencing and raising awareness about the risks of drug culture.

The combination of cocaine, a stimulant, and fentanyl, a depressant, is especially deadly. Because cocaine is a social drug often used at parties, its marriage to fentanyl opens up the painkiller’s devastating effects to a much larger audience. This summer, nine people overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine in the span of 20 minutes in Delta, BC. Just a few weeks ago, five partiers in Barrie, ON, met the same fate. There’s no such thing as doing a harmless line at a party anymore.

University is a pivotal, formative chapter in an individual’s life, and university students are prone to going out and experimenting. Post-secondary institutions play a key role in influencing and raising awareness about the risks of drug culture. Universities must inform students about drug safety and foster open, judgment-free spaces where students can access overdose prevention tools and seek help and information.

There’s no chemical remedy for addiction, but naloxone, an antidote drug, can save lives in cases of fentanyl overdoses. Naloxone counteracts the effects of opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, and morphine. In response to the rising fentanyl epidemic, the University of British Columbia is now administering free take-home naloxone kits and training students on how to use them. At the University of Calgary, naloxone is available to students with a history of opioid use and a prescription from a registered nurse; however, keeping naloxone behind-the-counter is not productive. If an overdose occurs, it's the friends or family of the opioid user who need the counterdrug to save a loved one. In a literal life-or-death situation, universities must be as proactive as possible.

Fentanyl has yet to have as deadly an impact in Quebec as it has had out West; still, the epidemic is spreading across the country—and it’s way too close for comfort. While individuals have a responsibility to inform themselves about safe drug use and exercise judgment, universities must take the initiative now to protect students from this nationwide crisis. Universal access to naloxone kits is a significant step that should be implemented immediately. Given students’ proximity to party drugs, they are especially vulnerable. Fentanyl is strong, relentless, and all-consuming—and its next victim could be someone you know.

 

 


Alexandra is a columnist and a U2 student studying Political Science and International Development. She is a proud Torontonian, passionate traveler, and knows all the lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
1 … 709 710 711 712 713 … 1,363

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue